The Best Activity Trackers: Fresh Five

The Five Best Resolution-Smashing Fitness Trackers Out There

Talk to any trainer or any fitness enthusiast and they’re going to tell you that if you want to see real, tangible progress you’ll need to keep good notes. You’ll need to write down your workouts and your reps and how you felt and how you improved. You’ll need a notebook full of numbers and notes which these days is like telling you to etch your fitness progress on a cement tablet, Flintstone-style.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, wearable technology will be the most popular fitness trend in 2016. That’s fitness trackers, smart watches, GPS tracking devices and heart rate monitors that do all the legwork for you. The wearable technology market is expected to approach $6 billion this year.

For this week’s Fresh Five, we take a look at some of the best fitness trackers that won’t only help you smash your fitness resolutions, but do it in style too.

Jawbone UP3

The first thing that stands out about the Jawbone UP3 is its comfortable and sleek band. If you’d rather wear an activity tracker that looks more like a bracelet and less like you’re wearing a piece of science on your wrist then this is the way to go. The UP3 can track your daily heart rate allowing you measure your heart rate over time as well as step counting, distance and calorie burn – of course, based on your step count. But one of the coolest features is the Smart Coach which is designed to give you suggestions on things like how to sleep better and information about your past performances.$199.99 at Jawbone.com

Garmin Vivosmart HR

You get all the basics with this fitness tracker: steps, calories, distance, stairs, and sleep including notifications to read emails and text messages from your smartphone that you can read in full. And if you’re looking for a tracker that’s waterproof, well, say hello.$149.99 at Amazon.com

Fitbit Surge

One of the best things about the Fitbit Surge is that it’s more than a step/stairs counter. The Surge tracks activities like weight lifting, hiking and even yoga while providing notifications for incoming text messages and phone calls. It’s a little bigger than other Fitbit trackers but that allows the Surge to look like a watch and continuously show your stats on the screen. PC Magazine called it the best all-day fitness track to date.$236.10 at Amazon.com

Skulpt Aim

If you really want to measure your fitness, you don’t do it my standing on a scale. Most activity trackers are counting steps and estimating calories but the Skulpt Aim assesses your fitness level by actually measuring your body fat percentage and muscle quality. That means this device can measure when you’re gaining or losing muscle. The device has 12 seniors on the back to send a small current through the muscle to evaluate its quality. Aim also claims it is five times more accurate than bioelectrical smart scales and 3-4 times more accurate than skinfold caliper test that measures total body fat.$149.00 at Skulpt.me

Lumo Running Shorts

One of the many questions that runners what to know is “am I doing this right?” The Lumo Run puts a coach directly in your ear. First, these data-tracking running shorts measure cadence (steps per minute), bounce (how much you move up and down with each stride), ground contact time, stride length and even pelvic rotation. Then, through the smartphone app, Lumo Run’s coach gives you cues into your headphones in real time. And this all happens simply with small device in the waistband of your shorts.$99.00 at LumoBodyTech.com